How Likely Is a Tornado in Monroe County, MO?
How likely is a tornado in Monroe County, MO?
Monroe County has recorded 26 tornado touches in NOAA's 76-year database, a rate of roughly one every 2.9 years - our Elevated band. Put another way: Monroe County sees more tornado activity than 61% of US counties. Within Missouri alone, Monroe County ranks 51 of 115 counties for tornado frequency.
Beyond the frequency band: violent history
1 tornado touching Monroe County reached violent (EF4-5) strength since 1950. That single fact carries more weight for the shelter decision than the county's overall frequency band.
The dollar figure Monroe County's rating leads to
Cost nationally: $2,890-$13,280, about $7,645 typical. Missouri has no state rebate program confirmed here; FEMA's underlying 75% cost-share exists nationwide, but applying through a state program is what usually makes it real, and none was found for Missouri this pass.
What a direct hit isn't required for
The storm that misses Monroe County outright can still take its power out - outbreak-scale outages across Missouri are common well beyond the tracked path. A battery-backup unit handles that without a generator's setup or fuel.
What this number is, and is not
One caveat before relying on Monroe County's number: it is county-wide, and it covers about 648 square miles, so a single touch counts the same as one in a county a fraction of that size. Weaker pre-1990s tornadoes are also documented as undercounted in NOAA's own record. Monroe County has about 8,890 residents.